


The Struggle of Loving an Inspector

by edgeboi



Series: My Les Mis Modern AU Stuff [1]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-03 14:42:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6614659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edgeboi/pseuds/edgeboi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern AU. Javert is seriously injured in the line of duty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! My name is doublereed11. I have been writing for quite a while, but only recently made an AO3 account. This a part of my main Modern AU plotline (at least for Valvert). I may eventually add some Amis. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Inspector Javert starts the engine of his patrol car. Finally, the day is done. He has finished a long day of work; paperwork, mostly, but on his way home, he pulls over a car for speeding. He will be a few minutes late. He knows that Jean will be worried. He always is. Javert could picture the situation; his husband sitting silently on the couch, staring off into space. He would read to their daughter, Cosette. When she would ask him where her dad was, he would stumble over his words and quickly say that Javert was late. 

Javert often thought about how he ended up where he was. His birth parents never meant to have him, and treated him horribly. He had been terrified to tell anyone about his situation at home, but finally told his teacher, who, along with others, helped him get adopted. He was nine years old. A woman named Candace had become his new mother, and for the first time, he had felt safe and wanted. Even so, his school years were tough due to him constantly questioning his abilities. He became involved in marching band and began to find a sense of belonging. He eventually got a scholarship to college, and following that, he became a correctional officer at a local prison.

This was where he met Jean Valjean. In the three years that their time overlapped, they rarely talked. Neither could imagine that they would end up married. After Valjean had been released, Javert remained at the prison for another seven months, then transferred to the police.

At that time, Valjean had been elected mayor. Javert had met him, though only once. He recognized the name, so he searched for Valjean’s file. There, he learned that Valjean had been wrongly convicted of armed robbery. He had discovered the cure for a deadly disease and was making a fortune from that, though most of the money was being sent to charity.

One day, Javert had been leading a group of officers in a training mission. Afterwards, he happened to run into the mayor, and after apologizing for the noise that the training certainly had caused, took a chance and asked if Monsieur le Maire would like to go and get some coffee. To his surprise, Valjean had agreed. Eventually, their coffee outings became a frequent occurrence, to the point where people questioned the state of their relationship. 

It had never occurred to Javert that Valjean might have felt anything other than friendship towards him. They were at a restaurant waiting for their food when Valjean awkwardly asked if they were in fact dating, to which Javert said yes. They went out like this for almost two years. Javert was amazed that someone like Valjean could care for him. Even when his term as Mayor ended, Valjean always found time to be with Javert. They would go to their favorite restaurant then walk to the park to stargaze. 

On a bright, crisp autumn day, Jean Valjean proposed to Javert in the botanical gardens which he volunteered at. Javert, elated, had agreed and embraced his now-fiancee. They were married four months later. Around this time, Javert had been promoted to Inspector. He was feeling better than he ever had imagined himself capable of.

However, this happiness did not last for long. A few months later, he received the news that his adoptive mother had died in a car accident involving a drunk driver. He had felt empty. Eventually, he had been able to cope with the loss.

Two years later, he and Jean had considered adopting a child. Jean had known a woman named Fantine who had worked for his company. She had gotten pregnant and gave up her child for adoption. She fell ill and passed away. Her child, Cosette, had ended up in a foster home not unlike Javert’s birth family. Through much paperwork and visits from officials, she became part of their family. Javert had always been wary around children; he did not want to do anything wrong lest they ended up like he did. Cosette loved him, though, and he smiled every time she called him ‘dad’. 

Javert sighed as he pulled into the driveway. He locked the car and turned his key in the house’s lock. As he closed the door, he felt Jean’s arms wrap around him. 

“Hello, Jean,” he said.

“Where were you? I was getting worried because you did not answer your phone.”

“I am sorry.”

“You are alright, and that is what matters.” 

Later that night, Javert once again pondered upon his family. He never had expected to end up curled up next to the man he loved with their daughter in the room next to them. He smiled and kissed Jean’s forehead. 

“Goodnight, my love,” he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

“All units! We need backup!” a voice shouts over Javert’s radio. He slams on his gas pedal and starts his sirens. He is quickly briefed on what he is to do; several members of a violent crime ring have been located, but are putting up far more of a fight than the police had expected. 

It takes him perhaps fifteen minutes to reach the site. It is an old, decrepit warehouse in a dangerous part of town. Graffiti covers most of the outer walls. Flashing blue lights of police car sirens contrast the grey of the overcast sky. Javert parks his car with the others. He opens his door and steps out.

Javert walks over to where there are several senior officers discussing tactics. He asks them where he is needed. One of them points him to one of the entrances. 

As he enters, he takes in the scene. The inside of the warehouse is a labyrinth in itself; row after disorganized row of pallets and crates are stacked up on almost every available square inch. Javert recognizes this as one of the warehouses of a retail company that shut down several years earlier. The air is damp and dingy. In many places, the roof is nearing collapse. The entire structure is falling apart due to neglect and disuse. 

The situation inside is far more serious than the decaying of the warehouse. Multiple officers are standing with their guns drawn. He can see that there several criminals armed with various firearms have taken refuge in a makeshift fort of cinder-blocks and sheet metal. The two sides are at an impasse and thus have not made any attempts at an attack. 

Javert has been in this situation before. He returns to the cars and approaches the Deputy Chief, who has arrived on the scene to command the officers. 

“Good afternoon, Deputy.”

“Good afternoon to you, Inspector Javert.”

“The situation inside is more severe than we had thought. Neither us nor the criminals will give ground, yet neither side has fired upon the other.”

“I know all of this. Why have you told me information that you know that I have heard?”

“Sir, I have a suggestion.”

“Yes, Inspector?”

“Sir, may I take a few officers around the back and surprise the criminals from behind? They may have guards, but we will at least make them worry about attacks from all sides.”

“That sounds reasonable, but first, you will need to find out if there are any entrances on the other side of the warehouse.”

“I have, sir. There are loading docks on the opposite side of the warehouse where trucks would have unloaded their supplies.”

“This sounds reasonable. However, be careful. The Commissioner has told me about your prowess, but your bravery sometimes borders recklessness.”

“I understand, sir. I will be cautious.”

“I am confident that you will. I will send you several officers to assist you.” 

“Thank you, sir.” It only took two minutes for them to arrive. 

Javert led the five officers that had been assigned to him towards the back of the warehouse. They climbed up the ledge of the loading dock and with much effort managed to lift the hatch just enough to let themselves inside. They slowly closed it so that no noise would be heard by the criminals. 

The officers crept through the rows of abandoned products. Every so often, they would hear the scratching of the claws of a rat that was frightened by their sudden presence. 

Javert could sense that the officers were apprehensive. Several were gripping their guns with nervous strength. All wore an expression of unease. Javert then realized it was he who had gotten them into this. All of them would die. It was unethical to lead these people to their deaths. 

Javert signaled for them to halt. 

“Please listen to what I am about to say,” he whispered, “I do not want to waste lives. We are certainly outgunned. I give you permission to return to the front. If you wish to leave, you may do so now.” The grim silence was deafening. Finally, one of the officers spoke up.

“I am staying,” an officer Javert recognized as Bertrand. He had mentored Bertrand when he had joined their department. It hardly felt like any time had passed since then. It had, however, as Bertrand was now a lieutenant. Javert swallowed the bile that he previously had not realize was there. 

“I will stay as well. I can cover your retreat if necessary,” added an officer named Edwards. She took a few steps forward to stand next to Bertrand. 

“Alright. You three, report back to the Deputy Chief about our plans. We will do what we can,” Javert said, “Although I am not ensuring our success. Please leave.” The three officers acknowledged him and turned and retraced their steps to the loading dock.

“As for us, we will continue onward and do our duty. This will be the only way to break their defenses.” Javert motioned for them to advance. 

It was then that the a large portion of the roof caved in and crashed down towards the floor very near to where the officers were standing. 

“Proceed with caution,” Javert said. They continued along their way. It did not take long for them to locate the rear of the criminal’s position. 

Suddenly, another portion of the roof collapsed. Javert barely registered what had happened. Without warning, an enormous weight fell on top of him. He held back a scream as he heard his ribs crack. He tried to remove the fallen roof, but found that he suddenly could not breath. He heard Bertrand and Edwards running over to lift the rubble off of him. Even when they had freed him, he still felt out of breath. 

This was not the only result of the collapse. The criminals had noticed this as well and had turned to see that they were going to be ambushed by the officers. Edwards, seeing this, had opened fire. Bertrand followed suit. 

The criminals returned fire. Javert felt a bullet pierce his left shoulder. He gasped and managed to drag himself behind a row of pallets. Javert could not see Edwards, but could tell that she was making progress. 

Bertrand knelt next to Javert. 

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yes… I do not know.” 

“Wait. I have medical supplies. I can help you until a medic arrives. I ca-” Bertrand’s words were cut off when ten bullets buried themselves into his back.

“Bertrand!” Javert screamed. Bertrand’s body slumped against him. 

Javert blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this chapter is in a slightly different format than the others. It is written in vignettes instead of a single, continuous plot. 
> 
> Also, Cosette is about eight years old, and since I had no one to reference, her speaking may seem strange, so I apologize in advance.

Six days later.  
Beep. Beep. Beep.  
The hospital machines emit their monotonal sounds. Jean Valjean enters Javert’s room in the ICU. He is a mess of bandages, braces, and wires. Valjean sits down in a chair at the foot of Javert’s bed. A ventilator has been placed over his nose and mouth. He cannot breathe on his own. Valjean wants to be able to hold his hand and tell him that he loves him, and that he will be alright. He cannot. Javert is in critical condition. Valjean has been told that his husband has broken several ribs, one of which punctured his right lung. He had been shot in the upper left chest, the bullet passing through the clavicle and shoulder blade. He is not supposed to survive the week. He has been asleep for as long. 

Valjean sighs, and the two doctors step away from Javert and grudgingly tell him that he can sit next to him. Valjean places his chair by Javert’s bedside. He stares at his husband’s face. His dark olive skin is unusually pale. Valjean holds his gaze for several minutes. 

Suddenly, Javert’s silver eyes flutter open. He tries to move, but cannot. He moves his head slightly, but is taken aback when a machine starts beeping far louder than he remembers. How long has he been here? He does not know. He sees a fuzzy shape sitting next to him. The face… he knows this person… Valjean! He was here? 

“Javert?” he hears Valjean say. He tries to speak. No sound comes out. He feels his heartbeat increase and soon later several people keeping him still. He closes his eyes and falls into darkness once more.

\---

Jean Valjean sits silently in the waiting room. He is more worried than he has ever remembered being in his entire life. There has been a complication with Javert’s shoulder. At this moment, the doctors are setting it once more. 

This is because Javert has been having nightmares. He cannot sleep without waking up terrified. Valjean does not know the cause; Javert will not speak. 

The only reassuring news is that Javert has survived longer than the doctors expected him to. His right lung is healing and soon he will be able to breath without a ventilator. His broken bones are healing as well, although his shoulder continues to be difficult to keep in place. The main concern is what is happening inside Javert’s mind; one cannot escape the horrors that their mind will not let them forget. 

Valjean is pulled out of his reverie by a voice calling his name. A doctor is telling him that Javert wishes to see him. He stands up and follows the doctor to Javert’s room. 

Javert is awake and staring at Jean. Valjean approaches him and squeezes his hand.

“Hello, Javert.”

“J-jean…”

“I am here.”

“I…” Javert found that speaking required much effort.

“Shh, do not talk. You have injured a lung and your breathing is assisted by a ventilator. I will stay here with you.” Valjean, seeing that there are no doctors around, brings Javert’s hand to his lips and kisses it. He runs a hand through his husband’s hair. 

“I will bring Cosette next time, alright? You are doing very well. I will remain here until tonight.” Javert’s eyes close and his head relaxes against the pillow. Valjean once again runs his hand through Javert’s hair. He smiles. Javert looks blissfully peaceful in his sleep; for this, Valjean is thankful. He knows that it will not last. In this moment, it is almost as if none of this had ever occurred. 

\---

Over the past few weeks, Javert had been making significant progress. Valjean smiled every time that he thought of this. However, he had noticeably changed.

Javert would not do anything of his own volition; all he did was stare blankly up at the ceiling, his eyes glazed and unfocused. He was only the shell of the man he once was. Valjean wants to be able to look him in the eye and remind him how much he loved him.

Valjean had been hesitant on bringing Cosette to see Javert. He knew that the two wanted to see each other, but he did not want Javert’s condition to scare Cosette; she was only eight years old, after all. 

Today was different, however. The doctors had informed Valjean that Javert could be placed in a wheelchair and move freely around the hospital, as long as he got permission and the doctors would know when he would return. 

Javert was already in a chair when Valjean and Cosette arrived.

“Look, Papa, it’s Dad!” she chirped excitedly. Javert looked up, but did not meet anyone’s eyes. Valjean approached him and kissed his hair. 

“We are back.” Valjean lowered himself onto one knee and gazes into Javert’s eyes. 

“I have not seen you since yesterday. They tell me you are doing well,” Valjean continues, attempting to start a conversation. Javert blinks.

“Do you want to go outside?” Javert’s eyes flicker over towards the doors at the end of the hallway. 

“Alright. I will take you.” Valjean pushes Javert’s chair outside the hallway where his room was. Cosette skips along next to them. The family takes several turns, finally stopping in front of a pair of glass doors. Cosette opens one to let her fathers out. They find themselves standing in the hospital’s outdoor courtyard. Valjean brings Javert to a bench which is shaded by a large oak tree. Valjean sits down on the bench next to Javert’s chair; Cosette sits down next to him.

The three sit in uneasy silence. 

“Javert,” Valjean starts, “You do not have to answer, seeing as you are not terribly willing to speak. Are you doing alright? Physically, you are recovering. Mentally… well, you may never be the same. I am worried. What can I do to help you?” Javert’s breathing becomes ragged. He blinks, then buries his face into Valjean’s shoulder. He is sobbing.

Valjean turns the chair so that Javert is facing him. He takes Javert into his arms and attempts to comfort him. 

It takes several minutes for him to calm down enough to go back to his room. 

On the drive home that night, Valjean does not have the music on. He focuses on his driving with a blank face. 

“Papa?” he hears Cosette ask from the back seat.

“Yes, dear?”

“Will Dad be alright?” Valjean inhales deeply.

“I do not know, Cosette, I do not know,” he answers.

“Why did he do it?”

“Do what?”

“Whatever he did that got him sent to the hospital.”

“Cosette, your Dad is a very brave man. He was making sure some very bad people did not hurt anyone.”

“If he is so brave, why did people want to hurt him?”

“Bad people do bad things to good people.” The car was silent for some time. Cosette was the next to speak.

“Papa, why did he cry at the hospital today?”

“I do not know.”

“I think it is scary when adults like Dad cry. That means that something really bad has happened.”

“Yes. I agree.” Both people were silent for the rest of the ride.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for being supportive. This is my first published work and I appreciate your comments very much.

Javert spent a month in the hospital. Almost every day, Valjean and often Cosette would visit him.

On the day he is to return home, a psychologist approaches Valjean. Valjean recognizes her as the psychologist that had been working with Javert.

“Hello. Are you Javert’s husband?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“I am sorry that I have not been able to talk to you. I have been busy.”

“It is alright.”

“I was going to talk to you about Javert. I wanted to tell you to be careful around him. He is traumatized and will not talk to anyone about what happened. Do not do anything that might upset him. Even things that seem unrelated can trigger him, so be aware of these things and avoid them.”

“Alright. I will. Thank you.”

He returns to the admissions desk where Javert is signing release forms. Javert looks up and slides the final form towards the registrar. 

“Alright, are you done?” the registrar asks. He does not answer, but rolls his chair so that he is a few feet away from the desk.

“These papers will be filed. The bills will arrive in a few days. Do not worry, your insurance covers some of it. Be safe, alright?” Once again, he does not answer. 

“May we leave?” Valjean asks.

“Yes. The paperwork is finished.” With that, Valjean turns Javert’s chair away from the desk towards the doors.

Once at their car, Valjean lifts Javert into the backseat. He then folds the wheelchair and set it in the passenger seat. 

“Is everyone wearing their seatbelts?” Valjean asks.

“Yes, Papa, and Dad has put on his seatbelt.”

“Let’s go home.” 

The family travels past the city, and through the outskirts. All of a sudden, Javert becomes rigid. Cosette, who iss sitting next to him, notices.

“Dad? Are you alright.”

“Javert? Hold on, I am going to pull over.” Valjean pulls the car over to the shoulder of the highway. He gets out and opens Javert’s door.

“I am here. What happened?” Javert does not even look at him.

“Javert, please talk to me.”

“J-jean… I… no…”

“I will not push you, but…”

“That place… we p-passed that place! There…”

“Is… Is that where-”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to be alright?”

“Just… make it stop!”

“What?”

“The memories!”

“I will get you home.”

“Jean… I… Why can I not forget? I just want it to stop!”

“I am sorry. We will be home in a few minutes.” Valjean kisses Javert’s forehead. He returns to the driver’s seat and drives home as quickly as possible. 

\---

Valjean helps Javert out of the car. He places Javert in the chair and brings him inside. He parks the chair by the couch and lifts Javert onto it. Valjean sits down next to him. Javert collapses into his arms, crying. 

“Javert? Can you tell me what happened?”

“I… no! It is… I want to forget!”

“I understand, but it will help.”

“No…”

“Alright. Here, I am right here. You are safe.”

“Jean… I cannot escape my mind.”

“Try to think of other things.”

“I cannot!”

“I am sorry; I do not know what to do.”

“I just… look, you do not understand…”

“Understand what?”

“That day… I… I wish it never happened.”

“I know.”

“Jean… you do not understand… it is my fault that people died!”

“No-”

“Bertrand is dead because of me! I should have died instead of him!”

“I am sorry.”

“Do not be! He tried to help me after I was shot but… h-he should not have! He should have let me die! He was young, he had a life ahead of him… he had a family… Jean… I want to die…”

“Javert, please listen. I am proud of you for telling me about that day. It was very brave of you. However, please do not hurt yourself. Cosette and I love you. I want to help you. You are a good person, not whatever you see yourself as.”

“I may as well have killed him!”

“No. You and the others captured those criminals. That much I was told by the Commissioner. From what I can tell, you are a hero. Even if you do not see yourself that way, I do and always will.”

“Thank you…I still… it is my fault… Bertrand is dead… why did I live?” Valjean pulls Javert closer. 

“You have been very strong already. Please keep going. You have already come so far.” Valjean turned Javert’s head so that he could see him. 

“I will try, Jean. I promise.”

“Thank you. It means so much for you to say that.” Valjean closes the gap between them. When they break apart, Javert is the first to speak.

“I love you, Jean. Thank you for supporting me through this.”

“Any time, Javert. What do you want for dinner?”

“I do not care. I am not hungry.”

“I will order pizza. Cosette!” Valjean calls. She ran down the stairs and hops onto the couch next to him.

“Yes?”

“I am ordering pizza. What type do you want?” 

“Can we get pepperoni pizza?”

“Sure. I will go and order.” Valjean leaves and walks into the kitchen and dials the number. Cosette slides over so that she is next to Javert.

“Hi Dad!”

“Hello, Cosette.”

“Are you doing alright? When I was upstairs building a spaceship with Legos, I heard you yelling.”

“I… I am sorry.”

“It does not matter, alright? Papa loves you very much and so do I. Whatever or whoever hurt you will not do anything further.”

In that moment, Javert believed it. Javert was glad to have a family that cared about him. Even after several years, it was a strange but beautiful feeling. He smiled for the first time in several weeks. 

Even after what had happened, everything might just turn out alright.


End file.
